Grammar Friday

The Difference Between Bring and Take

My husband and I were chatting one night about grammar. Specifically, he was quite irked by the fact that people who travel in similar circles as he (i.e., business) do not know the difference between bring and take. He was almost starting to bristle.

So in the event you are one of those people (or know someone who is), here is the difference:

Bring: This is the act of carrying something to a place thought of as “here”. By example, I may ask my husband: “Will you bring me a glass of water?” He may refuse, but at least he will not be angry with me for using the wrong word. I, however, may be angry with him for not bringing the water to me.

Take: This is the act of accompanying someone (or something) to a place thought of as “there”. In this case, I may say to my husband: “I am not going to take your dishes to the sink.” Again, he may not be thrilled that he has to get up and walk his own plate to the kitchen, but at least he will feel less stressed because I did not refuse to “bring” his plate for him.

Idiomatic expressions such as “Bring to the table” and “Take someone under your wing” are exceptions. But in conventional speech, always follow the rules above.

Think of bring and take in terms of here and there. As a mnemonic device, take and there both start with “t”. 

Until next time…happy grammar!